Newsletter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association • Summer 2011 • Volume 10, No. 4
2011 American Orff-Schulwerk Association Professional Development Conference November 9 -12, 2011 Pittsburgh, PA Info@aosa.org www.aosa.org
Hosted by the Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Chapter and the Greater American Orff-Schulwerk Association Cleveland Chapter Music and Movement Education
Lesson Ideas by Paul Weller, Minneapolis, Minnesota • Column Coordinated by Donna Gallo, Contributing Editor
A Three-Part Lesson in Triple Meter Experiences, songs, and lessons in triple meter are difficult to find and yet beat divided into groups of three is such an important skill. The Volumes are an amazing place to find elemental material for triple meter.
Concepts Explored: Triple Meter, Low La, La-Pentatonic, Improvisation Part One – 27, Spielbuch für Xylophon, Band I (Schott) I typically teach this lesson as an introduction to low La in my third grade curriculum. At the beginning, students read the song and clap in place of the low La or sing the word “low” as preparatory language until the concept has been introduced. Also, I change the ending to be Re-Do-Do-La, instead of Re-Do-So-La since low So is introduced after low La. • Students read the rhythm of the song, making sure to feel the accent on beat one. • Discuss the form of the song as a class and identify measures that are repeated (we refer to them as copies and we know that good songs always have copies in them). • Students sing the solfege patterns in the song, clapping in the place for low La then singing the word “low” until the concept of low La is introduced. • Teach the following body percussion pattern to accompany the song. Shna. Kla. Pa. Sta.
œ
j œ œ J
œ œ
j œ œ J
œ
œ œ œ
œ
œ œ
œ
j œ œ J
œ œ
j œ œ J
œ
œ œ
œ
˙.
• Students perform body percussion in canon while singing the song with solfege. • Transfer to xylophones and play as written in Spielbuch. Optional extensions of this experience could be to play the melody on handchimes or xylophones. You could also create a dance or simple movement that allows the students to feel the heavy accented first beat of each measure. It works well to take a step each time low La is sung.
Part Two – “Two, Four, Six, Eight” This poem is one that is used frequently in my curriculum beginning in grade one. By the time it is used in this context [grade three], students have been using the poem for various curricular activities in different grade levels. 10
Volume 10, Number 4 • Summer 2011
• Students speak the poem in duple meter, keeping the beat somewhere on their body. • Students audiate the poem in triple meter while conducting in three. To help facilitate speaking the poem in this new meter, the teacher adds quarter rests after certain words. • Add a color part to the quarter rests using tone clusters in La-pentatonic on barred instruments. 1
2
3
4
5
6
Two,
four,
Z
six,
eight,
Z
Meet me
at
the
garden
gate,
Z
If I’m
late,
Z
do not
wait,
Z
Two,
four,
Z
six,
eight,
Z
An optional extension to this activity could be improvising in La-pentatonic on xylophones or recorders, using the words of the poem as the rhythmic structure.
Part Three – Putting it Together I paired these two pieces together for a performance with my Fourth and Fifth grade choir. It was successful because it showcased improvisation, movement, and literacy; and was satisfying for the listener as a performance piece. Here are just a few ideas of how to put these two triple meter activities together. • These two pieces work very well together either as A/B-sections or simultaneously as a partner song. • Create a rondo with melody number 27 from Spielbuch für Xylophon, Band I as the Asection and the improvised La-pentatonic melodies, using the rhythm of the poem’s text, for a B-section. • Form two concentric circles and have the outside circle sing melody 27 and take one step clockwise each time they sing low La. The inner circle speaks the poem and performs dramatic level changes on every quarter rest (i.e. from a low level to a quick high level on the next quarter rest). The Volumes and Spielbuchs offer many high quality triple meter pieces that can be paired with poetry, movement, or body percussion to help foster meaningful and inspiring musical experiences. Paul Weller has been teaching elemental music for the past 10 years in Minnesota to grades 1-5. He earned a BA from St. Olaf College, an MA in Education from Saint Mary’s University, and Orff-Schulwerk levels from the University of St. Thomas. He has taught workshops both locally and nationally, serves on both the Minnesota Orff and Kodály boards, and is a member of the AGEHR National Education Advisory Council.
Volume 10, Number 4 • Summer 2011
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